Peeta's Crushing Hard
by PeetaxKatnissx13RW
Summary: Peeta and Katniss are in their freshman year of High School in gym class. But Peeta's "friends" catch him staring at Katniss and try and get him to talk to her. Was originally Two-Shot,but being continued by popular demand.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a random idea that was playing in my head earlier today.. Maybe One or Two shot. Enjoy! **

_**Peeta's POV**_

I hate gym. It's just not my thing. But at least the classes get mixed together,and I get to see Katniss Everdeen everyday. I've had a crush on her for 9 years,since I was 5,and still have never had the nerve to talk to her. Except when I burned a couple loaves of bread when we were 11,and she and her family were slowly starving to death. It was well worth the beating,even though I'm almost certain she's long forgotten.

I try and avoid my friends the whole time so I can watch her. But today,I'm not so lucky. They spot me and ambush me from behind.

"Hey Mellark!" Gabriel jumps on my back and rubs his fist into my head,knocking me to the ground.

Luke and Nickoli start laughing as I shove Gabriel off me,stand up, and fix my hair with my fingers.

"Gabe! Would it kill you to give a guy some warning?" I yell,throwing a glare in Luke and Nickoli's direction.

"Well excuse me for trying to wake the day dreamer. What were you staring at,anyway?"

"Nothing. Just...uhh...trying to get an idea of what they want us to do."

Luke glanced around the room.

"You mean Tributes and Gamemakers? You've got to be kidding me. We've played that game for years!" He laughed.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Yeah,but we haven't played for a while. I kinda forgot."

"Sure. I'm I'm the President of Panem!" Nickoli rolled his eyes and laughed. "You were lookin at a girl,weren't ya?"

"NO!" I yell,loud enough my voice goes squeaky and a lot of people turn around to stare at us,I had to have turned bright red.

"Ohhhh yeah. Peeta's crushing _hard._" Luke said.

"So who's baker boy got his eye on?" Gabe asked.

"I said nobody. Just leave me alone,ok?" I raised my voice slightly and started walking away,but they cornered me so I couldn't get very far. I sighed.

"If I tell you,will you just go away?" I finally asked,hoping they'd say yes.

"Sure. Who is it?" Gabe replied.

I looked around the gym really quick to make sure nobody was in earshot and motioned for them to move in closer.

"Katniss Everdeen." I whispered and blushed again.

All 3 of them stared making all kinda of noise,directing all attention to us.

"Sushhhhhhh!" I hissed,but they continued.

"You mean the illegal hunter girl! I thought she was all up in it with that Hawthorne kid,if you know what I mean!" Luke erupted with laughter.

Was he implying that she was dating Gale Hawthorne,the most popular upperclassmen at District 12 High? Maybe even going farther? I glanced in her direction,she was leaning up against the wall,playing with her braid. No,that's not possible...is it? Is that why she's so quiet? Always by herself?

_**Katniss' POV**_

That Mellark kid was staring at me again. Why does he do that anyway? It's bad enough that half the school thinks I'm sleeping with Gale,which is totally untrue. Sure,I love him,but I'm not sure that's the way I love him,or if he feels the same way. He's more like a big brother. Why does high school have to be so complicated? Am I the only one who has more important things to think about besides who's having sex with who? Nickoli,Luke and Gabriel and yelling and screaming like wild animals,and I know what wild animals sound like,thank you very much. And then,here comes Nickoli and Gabe. Great. What do they _want_.

"Hey,Katniss." Gabe says,stopping in front of me and brushing his hair back.

"Gabriel..." I say back,as coldly as I can muster. I do not want to talk to him.

All of a sudden Peeta comes running,followed by Luke. Both of them running.

"NICKOLI! GABE!" Peeta screamed. Wow,the kid sounded like he meant business. This might be more interesting than I thought.

Nickoli's eyes flashed between me and Peeta.

"Katniss,just so you know Peeta-"

Before he could finish his sentence Peeta slammed into him and pulled him down to the ground. From there,he started beating the living crap out of him! I couldn't believe it! What the hell has gotten into him! Almost instantly,half the class had stopped what they were doing and gravitated over to the fight like a moth to a flame. Since the gym teachers would always leave us to our own devices,nobody was around to break it up.

All the boys,and a few girls, were huddled in a circle around Peeta and Nickoli,cheering them on,while the rest of the girls were asking me what happened. No matter what I said,I couldn't convince them that they weren't fighting over me. Everyone dispersed eventually,because the 2 boys were exhausted. And then, I hear Luke Yell,

"Well,Mellark! If you don't go talk to her now,you're never gonna bake bread in a real oven!"

Nickoli and Gabe laughed manically.

"Face it Luke,Peeta's never getting laid!" Gabe said as he caught his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Before I go off about this story,I wanna say one thing real quick,until I get feedback on the latest chapter of _Don't Give Up The Fight,_I'm not updating it,because I need to know if everyone likes the direction it's going,plus,everyone wants to know what happens to little Orion,don't you?**

**A/N/N (Author's Note,Note) So here we are in the second part of my much anticipated story! Alright,I'm changing course a little bit. Same story line,calm down. But just imagine Katniss and Peeta had an encounter they forgot about,because it was just too weird. (;**

_**Katniss' POV**_

This was too painful to watch. I owe it to Peeta to help him out,I mean he saved my families lives but giving me that bread 3 years ago. So,I did what I had to do. Fixed myself up a little,took a couple deep breaths and walked across the room to where Peeta was still arguing with the fiends.

I casually stopped next to Peeta and leaned against the wall,twirling a bit of loose hair around my finger. The poor boy looked utterly confused and nervous . After the flirting got too painful,I took another deep breath and just did it. I turned him around and just kissed him. I could hear Nickoli,Gabe,Luke and the rest of the class causing a riot. What have I gotten myself into?

_**Peeta's POV**_

Wait a second,I Katniss, Katniss _Everdeen_,the girl I've had a crush on for as long as I can remember,actually _kissing_ me? What was I supposed to do? I stumbled backward a few steps,she followed,and leaned against the wall,wrapping my arms around her in the process. She did the same,and at the same time started putting more effort into it. Once I got over the extreme spontaneity of the moment,I really started enjoying myself.

I'm not sure how long we were kissing,probably no more than a minute or two,but a few seconds into it,butterflies shot up through my stomach and-oh no. Not now,this is not good. I could feel Katniss squirm backward a little bit. Great. She felt it too. I had to end this,so I pulled back a little,not sure of what to do. She pulled back too,smiling.

"Peeta...whatever you have to do,just do it. I'll play along to buy you a few minutes to um...calm down." She whispered in my ear. I nodded and slowly took her hand,swung my arm a little bit and started walking toward the door. She stayed close enough to me to keep my shorts out of view. Once we got out the gym door and across the hall to the bathroom door and stood up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek,pushing the bathroom door open.

_**Katniss' POV**_

That didn't exactly go as planned. If I knew he was going to get _that_ excited,I never would have done it. Stupid move on my part,but in a way,it was well worth it. Just as he came out of the bathroom the bell rang,and since we were still in our gym clothes,that meant we were going to be late for class. Not that I cared about missing 15 minutes of algebra to get a pass while being chewed out by the Principal,but I'm already barely passing that class. Oh well,that's a story for another day,I suppose.

**Sorry this chapter was a little short! :X But told it well right? If you have any ideas for other stories for me,feel free to let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back by popular demand! I thought that Part 2 would be a bit of a let down...but I guess not! You guys gave me some awesome ideas to continue it,so Merry Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza/Whatever you may celebrate everyone! Here's another chapter...**

_**Peeta's POV**_

The day after Katniss kissed me in gym class,I asked her to come over to the bakery with me after school. I never expected her to say she would! It was pretty quiet for most of the walk. My brothers luckily had things to do after school,so they were nowhere in sight.

"Mom,Dad? I'm home." I yelled as we walked in the door.

I glanced over at Katniss,who was looking around the room. Then I remembered she's never been in any shops besides The Hob, and I don't really count that as a shop. I took her upstairs to my room since I had to change out of my school clothes. She spent most of that time staring at the ceiling. When we got downstairs my mother was standing behind the counter.

"Where have you been!" She snapped as soon as she saw me. But she seemed to forget that I existed as soon as she saw Katniss. Unfortunately,she apparently still remembered the bread from 3 years ago. And made no effort to hide it.

"Why is she here?" She growled at me.

"I thought you'd be happy I finally brought a girl home..." I mumbled under my breath while rummaging through the cabinet. She wasted no time backhanding me across the face.

"You know better than to speak to me that way!"

I ignored her and went back to trying to find the cinnamon and vanilla in the cabinet. Before she had the chance to scream at me for ignoring her,my dad showed up in the doorway.

"You deal with him and the Seam girl,I have errands to run." She yelled at him and slammed the front door.

I finally relaxed and grabbed what I needed,putting everything in front of Katniss. Who was patiently waiting on the other side of the counter.

_**Katniss' POV**_

I had completely forgotten how much of a bitch Peeta's mom is. Poor kid. I noticed his dad standing in the doorway, thank God he buys squirrels off me and likes me.

"Hey Mr. Mellark." I chirped and smiled at him.

"Hello, Katniss. To what do I owe your presence today?"

"Peeta actually asked me to. Not sure why,though. Not yet anyway."

"Well,Peet? Special reason you asked Katniss to come over?"

Peeta blushed,and I have to admit. It was cute.

"No,not really. We were just...talking yesterday in gym class." He looked at me and tried to wink,but both eyes closed. I giggled in response.

"Well,it looks like you two have things under control in here. I'll leave you alone." Mr. Mellark laughed and went back upstairs.

Peeta stood on the other side of the counter,mixing things into a big bowl. When he turned his back,I reached across the counter and stuck my finger in the bowl. I turned back around just as I sat back down. He smiled.

"I saw that you know?" He said,scooping cookie dough onto a sheet.

"I know." I smiled back. "This is really good."

"Just wait until they're baked. Then tell me what you think."

I couldn't help myself. I leaned back across the counter and kissed his cheek. He reached his arm around me and pulled me closer and kissed my lips. He slowly pulled back after a minute to put the cookies in the oven. Then he walked around to my side of the counter and sat next to me.

"This mean you're my girlfriend?" He asked,tucking a flyaway hair behind my ear. I kissed him in response.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled,when I pulled back.

**Nice twist? (: Thanks everyone who thought I should continue it with them as a couple for the inspiration! Have I told you all lately that you ROCK? Happy Holidays everyone! ~ Abby**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Peeta's POV**_

We spent the better part of the afternoon eating cookies and talking. I was right in the middle of kissing-well,it wasn't so much _kissing_,as much as making out with Katniss for about the hundredth time when my brothers,Bain and Silas came home.

"Well,what do we have here? My baby brother finally brought a chick home!" Bain yelled,smacking my back. "Didn't know you had it in ya!"

"Shut up,Bain...I was just about to walk her home,when you two animals came in." I snapped back,grabbing my backpack,that I had secretly filled up with plenty of bread and even a few cookies for Katniss and her family,and jumping down off the stool I had been sitting on.

"Common,Katniss...lets get out of here." I said,taking her hand.

"Someone's a little testy tonight. Don't get snippy,Peet,Damn." Silas said from behind the counter. I rolled my eyes and started to the door,hand-in-hand with Katniss.

"Woah,what do you got there? You don't gotta take that ratty old backpack of yours just to walk her home." Bain asked,stopping me in front of the door.

"I don't trust you to not put eggs in it like the last time I left it lying around." I replied,moving around him and speeding out the door with Katniss.

_**Katniss' POV**_

I directed Peeta back to my house and let him in when we got inside.

"Mom. Prim. I'm home." I yelled,as Peeta started unpacking his backpack on the table.

"What is going on in here?" My mom asked,walking over to the table. "Where were you all day?

"Peeta asked me to go over to his house after school. And while I was there,he managed to sneak some bread for us..." I explained. "And a few cookies he made."

Prim ran into the room at the mention of food,and stopped next to Peeta,looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and handed her a cookie,which she quickly wolfed down.

"No need to thank me,anytime you need anything,just ask. I'll try and sneak little bits out between Katniss' trades with my dad." He smiled and kissed my cheek. "See you tomorrow,Kat." I walked him to the door and went outside with him.

"I love you,Peeta." I whispered.

"I love you too,Kat." He whispered back.

"Did I tell you that on our first day of school,when we were 5,my Dad pointed you out and told me about your mom?" He brushed my hair back behind my ear. "And I've been in love with you ever since?"

"No..." I smiled and kissed him again. "You didn't."

"And now look at us,you kiss me once in gym class,and we end up head over heels for each other. We're completely love sick."

"So that's what they call it when two people can't stop kissing." I laughed and kissed his cheek again.

He smiled and kissed mine back. "See you in the morning?"

"Of course..." I trailed off and looked at my feet.

"What?" He asked,slightly worried.

"Kiss me again? Get us through the night?"

He laughed. "I was just about to ask the same thing."

_**Peeta's POV**_

I wrapped my arms around her and slowly pressed my lips to hers. We just stood there in silence until she moved back toward her door.

"You better be getting home..." She said.

"Yeah...see you tomorrow." I started walking off. "I love you!" I yelled.

"I love you too!" She yelled back before opening the door and going back inside.

The walk home felt surreal to me,as well as the rest of the night. At home,everything moved fast. Even when I got hit for not getting my chores done on time,It didn't matter. I didn't feel it at all. My euphoric state lasted until I got into bed. After that,time seemed to stand still. Morning seemed eternities away. I lay awake,tossing and turning until midnight,when I officially gave up and went downstairs to see if my dad could use any help. He was usually still wide awake at this hour,still working.

I crept down the hall slowly,careful not to wake up my mother or brothers and made my way down to the kitchen. The smell of fresh bread was overwhelming. My dad walked out of the kitchen,he must have heard me coming.

"Peeta,what are you doing up?" He asked.

"Can't sleep..."

"It's Katniss,isn't it?"

I blushed and nodded. He motioned for me to follow him to the island in the center of the kitchen and handed me a chunk of bread,fresh from the oven.

"You really love her,don't you,sport?"

"Yeah...and she finally feels the same about me." I say,taking a bite out of the bread.

"Well,you need some sleep. Go back upstairs,I think you just needed something to fill the hole."

"Alright,goodnight-I guess."

"G'night,Peeta."

When I got upstairs,I was suddenly exhausted. Whatever was in that bread,certainly did the trick. I was fast asleep within 10 minutes. Thinking the same thing to myself over and over-

Katniss Everdeen...my girlfriend. _Mine_.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Happy New Year! And May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor! Haha, been a while on this one,huh? Well,I'm also in the middle of writing another chapter for Misadventures In Babymaking,so if you're in need of some PeetaxKatniss and extreme awkwardness,be my guest and go check it out. (:**

_**Katniss' POV**_

I hurried Prim in the morning while we were getting ready. She didn't really complain until we got there early.

"What am I supposed to do while we wait?" she asked when we got to the schoolyard.

"Go play on the playground,ok? I have something I have to do."

"But you always wait with me!" Prim whined.

"Prim. Please,for me?"

"Fine..." she grumbled,walking over to a tree nearby. I started to feel bad,but didn't have time. Before I knew it,Peeta was standing behind me,with his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Good morning,beautiful!" He chirped,kissing my cheek.

"Hi Peeta!" I turned around and kissed him back.

We stayed close to the wall,talking and occasionally quickly kissing. But nothing major,because at school,they really don't like Public Displays of Affection. Lets just say I've personally seen a kid get suspended for a few days for kissing his girlfriend at lunch.

When the bell rings,I say goodbye to Peeta and collect Prim,hurrying her to class before running to my own,making it just before the late bell rings. The teacher glares at me for a second,but leaves me alone. The day seems to creep by until the bell rings for 3rd period,when Peeta and I have gym class. I get changed in record time and Peeta met me right outside the door.

Technically,boys aren't allowed to get anywhere near the girls locker room when there's anyone in there. The same with girls being by the boys locker room. But the gym teachers really don't pay attention to that unless someone actually goes _in_ the other locker room,since most everything about school is coal related and the only reason we even _**have**_ gym is to keep us strong enough to work in the mines.

"Hey,sweetheart." Peeta says,quickly kissing me,before anyone could see.

I looked around quickly before kissing him back.

"I love you." I whispered in his ear.

"I love you,too." He whispered back,smiling as he took my hand in his own.

_**Peeta's POV**_

Gabe,Nickoli and Luke were on us like a pack of wild dogs when we walked in the gym. Katniss and I completely ignored each other the day before,so for them,this was the news of the century. They finally left us alone after I answered all their questions,which included anything from 'when did this happen?' to the most embarrassing comment- 'so,Peeta's finally baking bread in a real oven.'

When they finally left us alone,Katniss and I found a spot on the bleachers far enough away from everyone else to have as much privacy as possible. We really just talked,well,flirted really,until Katniss stood up and took my hand.

"Come with me." She whispered.

We soon found ourselves under the bleachers,in the dark,far enough under so anyone looking in the doorway couldn't see us. There was something about the darkness that changed something. Like we had more freedom then we had even the night before.

We were standing right by the wall under the highest part of the bleachers. Without warning,Katniss slammed me hard against the wall,kissing me passionately. I responded by kissing her back with just as much force. I knew we were at school,and in serious trouble if we got caught, even though the chance of that was slim,but my mind was in another place. And apparently so was hers.

I slid one hand down her back,and the other right under the hem of her shirt. At the same time,her hand slid up my shirt,resting her hand on my chest. I took that as Katniss telling me- _you can move your hand up farther,if you want._ I did,put my hand on her stomach.

We barely heard it,but in the distance a whistle blew. The one that meant go get dressed,there's 10 minutes left in the period. Getting out from behind the bleachers would be tricky without being seen. I grabbed her hand,and we ran to the far end of the room,by the door. I quickly looked around,and when the coast was clear,we slipped out the door.

_**Sorry this took sooooooo long! I need to get back on the ball,but I've been (and still am) sick,so that's my reason. Have new chapters up for the rest of my stories ASAP. ~Abby**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I am terrible. I have been neglecting my poor stories...I'm still waiting for inspiration on almost all of them... :\ But I think I might have this again once I force myself to write more. Plus-I got a new notebook today,so that means I can waste time I class writing and that means more fics for you. Ok,lets got back to the story,shall we?**_

_**Katniss' POV**_

Before I went out to the woods to hunt with Gale the next morning,early Saturday morning,I went to get Peeta. Gale wasn't going to be too happy about me bringing him along,especially because I hadn't broken the news to him yet. But I wanted to take Peeta. And Katniss Everdeen does what she wants to do.

When I got to his families bakery,the smell of freshly baked bread was already heavy in the air. When I opened the door,I was happy Peeta was standing behind the counter,instead of his mother or brothers. As soon as he saw me,his eyes lit up like a kid who'd just gotten the best birthday present ever.

"Katniss! Sweetheart,what are you doing here?" He smiled and wrapped his arms around me,while kissing my forehead.

"You think you can come with me? For a walk?" I asked,not wanting to say anything about illegal hunting in town.

"Ok,sounds good. Let me tell my dad I'm going first,ok?"

I nodded,and once he was a good distance away,followed him some of the way. I hate to admit it,I'm not afraid of her,but I don't exactly want to see Mrs. Mellark.

Peeta came back over,and took my hand in his own.

"Lets go." He said and smiled sweetly.

When we got to the fence,he didn't say anything about how we shouldn't be here. Just crawled under the fence along with me,and then he started giggling.

"What?" I asked,with a hint of a laugh in my voice.

"If my mom knew I was here,I'd be dead."

"And why is that funny? That's almost as funny as getting reaped."

"Because,there's no way I'm ever going to let her find out." He whispered,kissing me before we turned and ran into the woods.

_**Peeta's POV**_

Something about finally being on the other side of that fence changed something in me. I was already breaking the ultimate rule,and who knows how many of those I'd be breaking today. Katniss took her bow and arrows out of a log and we walked to the spot she said she always met Gale. He was sitting there,when we got there.

"Katniss...who's that?" He asked.

"Umm,Gale...Peeta's...kind of my boyfriend now." She whispered,and bit her lip.

"Oh. Ok." He said. "Look,Katniss. The only reason I'm here is to tell you I can't stick around. Posy's sick,and I have to watch the boys...hope you don't mind."

"Aw,tell I hope she feels better. I'll bring some of whatever I get over after the Hob,ok?"

"Alright. Check my snares for me,will ya?"

"Sure thing."

"Awesome. See ya,I guess. Watch her for me,Peeta" He said before he turned around and took off the other way.

Katniss sat against a tree,and I sat next to her. We stayed silent for a while,taking it all in. Out of nowhere,I leaned over and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around me,pulling me closer. Before long,I felt that all too familiar shot of adrenaline run through me,and the butterflies shoot up through my stomach. But this time,it felt different. For both of us. Her hand run up my leg and under my shirt,and mine did the same.

By that time,we'd long fallen away from the tree,and were laying in the soft bed of grass and flowers. Instead of squirming back,when I got _too_ excited,like that first kiss in gym class,instead,Katniss rolled over on top of me. For some reason,that lit a spark inside me I'd never felt before. I moved my hands to her back from under her shirt. Just as my fingers started fumbling with the clasp of her bra,i felt the button on my jeans come loose.

My brain told me this was a bad idea. But my body said otherwise. To make a long story short,my body won. I gave in to the butterflies. Before long,our clothes were in a pile next to the tree. I rolled over so I was on top of her.

"Kat...you sure you wanna do this?" I asked quietly. She nodded,looking right into my eyes. That little gesture,looking into my eyes, reassured me. As gently as I possibly could,I slid myself in her. Holding her hand,and kissing her in hopes I could calm her down a little. We took it slowly and quietly. Lots of shy smiles and gentle kisses. Exactly what you would think two shy 14 year old kids first time would be.

When we were both tired,we helped each other get dressed and lay in the grass and flowers for a while. Holding hands and looking up at the clouds. 5 minutes of laying in the grass later, I felt Katniss curl up closer to me and rest her head in the crook of my neck. Fast asleep. I wrapped the arm I had been holding her hand in around her shoulders. My life couldn't be any better,in that moment. There was a dandelion by a tree root close by,I picked it and gently tucked it into Katniss' hair.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I'm not sure how much farther I should take this,since it was only supposed to be a 2 shot to begin with...anyway,I figure explaining last chapter would be a good idea. You see,where I come from-it isn't uncommon for 14 year olds (people my age) to...uh...not be virgins. So that's where that came from. Now that we have that cleared up-here we go again...**_

_**Peeta**_

Reaping day. I've been dreading this for weeks. Katniss doesn't let me help her. She insisted on taking out tessera for her family again this year,even though I've been helping her keep them all fed. When I got to her house this morning,she was already outside. I smiled half-heatedly and hugged her.

"You ok?" I whispered. She nodded,and I kissed her as gently as I could. "You sure?"

"Peeta,stop. Don't worry about me,ok?" Katniss said,pulling back from me.

"I can't help it..." I took her hand in mine and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too..." She mumbled,staring down at our hands.

I've learned not to take her lack of affection at times personally. Yes,it still stung a little bit,but it didn't take a lot to see that she _does_ love me back. Just by the look in her eye,or the way she looks at me longingly from across the room at school.

We slowly walked back to the bakery,hand in hand. Not many people were out,only a few people watering plants or feeding animals. I'd been walking through the Seam,back and fourth to Katniss' house for months now. But the Seam still fascinated me. But I didn't have much time to think about it,because we were soon at my front door. Before I opened the door,I stopped and brushed her hair back.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful,today?" I whispered,in case my brothers were within earshot. She just smiled slightly and quickly kissed my cheek.

_**Katniss**_

I always love it when Peeta takes me to the bakery. Besides the place always smelling fantastic, I love watching him work. I always try and help,but usually only wind up making a mess. But today,only a dim light was on in the back of the room. Surely it was only Peeta's father. Nobody else seemed to be awake yet,and Peeta and I were already wide awake and in our reaping clothes.

I glanced up the the clock. We still had maybe 10 minutes before Gale came over. Gale had quickly taken a liking to Peeta. I'm not sure if it was because he meant food,or if it was Peeta himself,but Gale started tagging along with us. Occasionally,helping with deliveries for Mr. Mellark- meaning more food for his family.

"You hungry?" Peeta's voice broke through my thoughts. He was behind the counter,shuffling things around. "I couldn't sleep last night,so I'm plenty sure we have more cookies then we can sell." He smiled,walking back over with half a dozen cookies in each hand.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" I asked,although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer,taking a cookie out of his hand.

"Worrying about you. What else?" He said with a laugh,taking a bite out of a cookie.

Before I could respond,the bell on the door rung quietly and Gale slipped in.

"Hey,Catnip." Gale said,ruffling my hair gently. I shot him a look and fixed my hair as best I could.

"Peeta," He said,grabbing a few cookies and sitting down across the table from Peeta and I.

I rolled my eyes and went back to nibbling on my cookie. Gale seemed a little too cheerful this morning.

"Happy Hunger Games!" He said,suddenly dropping into a ridicules Capitol accent. "And may the odds..."

I looked at Peeta and rolled my eyes again.

"Be ever in your favor!" Peeta finished Gale's sentence,in an even more ridicules accent than Gale's. They both started laughing uncontrollably,although I couldn't figure out what exactly was so funny about it.

"I took some food over to Prim and your mom," Gale said,shoving another cookie in his mouth.

Again,I didn't get the opportunity to say anything. But this time,it was Peeta's brothers.

"Hey Peet!" Silas yelled,grabbing a cookie and digging his fist into Peeta's head.

"Silas! Get offa' me!" Peeta yelled,fighting against the headlock his brother had him in. Bain came over and tried to hold me still,but Peeta managed to kick him off before he had the chance to get close. Unfortunately,his plan backfired,because from the floor,Bain knocked the chair over,sending Silas and Peeta both tumbling backward.

Gale was just about to step in,but Mr. Mellark beat him to it.

"Bain! Silas!" He barked. Both of them let Peeta go and scrambled over to their father,while Gale and I went to help Peeta up. Once we got him back in the chair,I knelt down and quickly checked him over,like I'd seen my mother do a million times before. Other than a small cut by his eye,that was a little too close for comfort for me,he was fine. For now. Gale seemed to know what I was thinking,and ran to the sink,returning with a damp towel.

"Hold still..." I told Peeta.

"Kat. Really,I'm fine." He tried to argue.

"No,you're not. This cut's pretty deep. Seeing as we all make it out of the reaping,you're coming back to my house."

"For what? You mom's probably just gonna clean it again." He said,laughing softly.

"If I know my mom,I think you're getting a couple stitches" I argued. Peeta was about to rebut,but Gale stopped him.

"Hate to break up the love fest here,but we better get going. It's getting close to 2."

_**Peeta**_

Gale was right. I started to get up,but Katniss pulled me back down again. She intently studied my eyes,and just as I was about to ask what she was doing,she pulled me up.

"Just wanted to make sure your pupils weren't dilated or anything." She said,tangling her fingers in mine.

"Looks who's all worried now?" I laughed as we walked out the door and to the square.

Once we were both signed in,I quickly kissed her one last time. For luck. She squeezed my hand tight before she let go. I sighed and Gale came up behind me.

"She's going to be fine." He said,squeezing my shoulder and pointing up at the stage. District 12's Capitol escort,Effie Trinket,was making her way to the microphone in the front of the stage. "Not long now." He patted my back before going to meet a group of his friends. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Welcome,everyone!" Effie chirped into the microphone. The small part of me not focused on making sure I don't puke said,_ 'would you shut up and get it over with already,old bat? Why welcome us when we've lived here our whole lives?'_

"It's that time of year again,when we pick our Tributes for the 72nd annual Hunger Games!"

I glanced behind the giant purple bat standing on stage to Mayor Undersee and Haymitch Abernathy. By the way things were looking,If I puked,I wouldn't be alone. Haymitch looked about 30 seconds off from turning Effie's outfit another color. And Mayor Undersee just looked bored,like _'which 2 kids are leaving and not coming home again this year?' _

"Ladies first!" Effie stuck her hand into the fishbowl containing the girl's names and brought one out. I silently prayed to myself,unconsciously gripping my stomach. All I heard was a 'P'. After that,I knew she was safe. I felt someone grab my arm. Gale,making sure I was alright. I smiled back,and he let go of my arm.

Effie made her way to the bowl with the boys names in it,but not before Haymitch lost his lunch all over the stage. Well,more like lost whatever alcohol he'd downed before he came here. Mayor Undersee grabbed his shoulders before he could fall off his chair,and gently set him down against the back,and motioned for Effie to continue.

"Well,this certainly is fun!" She exclaimed wearily,not seeming thrilled about the puke that hit the back of her leg,which me and probably 75% of District 12 found hilarious. She took her time finding a suitable piece of paper before pulling one up from the bottom. I didn't recognize the name she read off,but a boy around 13 maybe made his way to the stage. Both tributes were fairly young,the girl had to be 12. I felt bad for their families,but at the same time,was relieved we had been spared for another year. I looked up and hunted in the crowd for Katniss,who must have been looking for me. She smiled,and I smiled back. Both of us anxious to be free to leave-so we could be close once again.


End file.
